Sight card index



July-1, 1952 FRER. 2,601,854

SIGHT CARD INDEX Filed DBC. 8, 1948 Patented July 1, 1952 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE Application December 8, 1948, Serial No. $4,059

` In Switzerland December 10, 1947 Claims. (Cl. 12S-16.7)

The present invention relates to a sight card index with a pile `ofindex cards lying behind each other.

In such sight card indexes it is desirable to have the separate cards inthe pile easily separable from each other, so that the lettering becomesvisible and the desired card can easily be found.

For this purpose, in the sight card index according to the presentinvention, at least one flap it fitted to the index cards above theirlongitudinal middle, so that the lower part of the iiap can swivel awayfrom the card.

One execution of the object of the invention is illustrated by way ofexample in the accompanying drawing, where Fig. l shows a front view ofan index card,

Fig. 2 a side View of the same and Fig. 3 a side View of a number ofcards arranged one behind the other.

The index card I shown in the drawing has at both sides, near the upperedge, a slit 2, which serves for taking a flap 3 consisting oftransparent celluloid. The aps 3 are provi-ded at two opposite sideswith a cut 4. The parts of the card I adjacent to the slit 2 lie inthese cuts 4 of the aps 3 so that the latter are held tippable in theslits 2. In order to be able to introduce the flaps into the slits 2, acut 5 is made in the flap aty right angles to the cuts 4. so that twowings are made in the flaps and can be pushed partly over each other. Inthis way the width of the ap. at the part leading into the slit andprovided with the cut 5, can be temporarily diminished and the iiap thusintroduced into the slit 2 in the card I.

As can be seen from Fig. 3, as soon as a slight pressure is exerted onthe upper edge of the iiaps 3 and no pressing is present on the cardsnormal to their sight surface and they are in a suitable uprightposition, the flaps 3 cause the cards to move out like a fan from eachother, so that the lettering in their upper edges is visible and easy toread.

Instead of two flaps only one can be arranged, for instance in. themiddle of the card.

Instead of the transparent Celluloid flaps, naps of some other materialcan be used, for instance metal flaps, which in order to save space canbe made thinner than the Celluloid flaps while still havingapproximately the same bending strength.

What I claim is:

1. An index card unit comprising a pack of cards lying one behindanother, each of a plurality of said cards having a slit that is closedat'both ends and is spaced from the edges of the card,A beingapproximately parallel to one edge of the card, a flap of resilientmaterial having a width greater than the length of said slit, said flaphaving notches opposite one another in its side edges at approximatelythe middle of the flap in a lengthwise direction to provide a portion ofreduced width which is received in and extends 'through the slit ci thecard and to provide shoulders which engage the c'ard at opposite sidesof a line forming an extension of said slit, the engagement of theopposite edges of the slit with opposite sides of the iiap and theengagement of said shoulders with the card tending resiliently to tiltthe flap at an angle to the plane of said card to separate adjacentcards slightly when unconned, said flap being freely swingable aboutsaid slit as a pivot further to separate adjacent cards angularly fromone another While remaining flat, said cards being wholly unconnectedand free from one another and freely liftable completely out of the packby said flaps.

2. An index card unit comprising a pack of cards lying one behindanother, each of a plurality of said cards having a slit that is closedat both ends and is spaced from the edges of the card, beingapproximately parallel to one edge of the card, a flap of resilienttransparent material having a width greater than the length of saidslit, said flap having notches opposite one another in its side edges atapproximately the middle of the iiap in a lengthwise direction toprovide a portion of reduced width which is received in and extendsthrough the slit in the card and to provide shoulders which engage thecard at opposite sides of a line forming an extension of said slit, saidiiap having a slit extending up from the lower edge of the iiap andintersecting a line connecting said notches, the engagement of theopposite edges of the slit in the card with opposite sides of the flapand the engagement of said shoulders with the card tending resilientlyto tilt the iiap to a position at an angle to the plane of said card,said ilap being freely swingable about said slit as a pivot to separateadjacent cards angularly from one another While remaining flat, saidcards being wholly unconnected and free from one another and freelyliftable completely out of the pack by said flaps.

3. A card index comprising a plurality of separate and unconnectedcards, each of said cards having a slit that is closed at both ends andis spaced from and approximately parallel to the upper edge of the card,a flap of resilient transparent material having a width greater than thelength of the slit, said flap having notches opposite one another in itsside edges to provide a portion of reduced width which is received inand extends through said slit and to provide shoulders at the oppositesides of said notches which engage opposite faces of the card onopposite sides of a line forming an extension of said slit, theengagement of the opposite edges of said slit with opposite faces ofsaid flap and the engagement of said shoulders with the card tendingresiliently to tilt the flap to a position at an angle to the plane ofsaid card to spread adjacent cards slightly apart, said flap projectingabove the upper edge of the card and being freely swingable about saidslit as a pivot further to separate adjacent cards angularly from oneanother while remaining flat, said cards being wholly unconnected andfree from one another and freely liftable completely out of the pack bysaid flaps.

4. A card index comprising a pack of cards lying one behind another,each of a plurality of said cards having a slit below and approximiatelyparallel to the upper edge of the card and above its longitudinal centerline, and a flap associated with each of said slitted cards, said flapbeing formed of resilient material and having a width greater than thelength of the slit with notches in opposite side edges in themid-portion of the flap to form a portion of reduced width which isreceived in and extends through the slit to provide a hinge connectionbetween the flap and said card, the top portion of the flap projectingabove the top of the card and the lower portion of the nap projectingbelow said slit on the opposite side of the card from the top portion,pivotal movement of the flap about said slit as an axis causing thelower portion of the flap to swing out away from the card and separateadjacent cards angularly from one another while remaining substantiallyiiat, said cards being wholly unconnected and free from one another andbeing freely liftable completely out of the pack without liftingadjacent cards.

5. A card index comprising a pack of cards of uniform height lying onebehind another in an approximately upright position, each of successivecards having a slit below and approximately parallel to the upper edgeof the card and in the upper quarter of the card, and a flap associatedwith each of said slitted cards, said flap being formed of resilientmaterial and having a width greater than the length of said slit withnotches in opposite side edges in the mid-portion of the flap to form aportion of reduced width which is received in and extends through saidslit to provide a hinge connection between the flaps and said card, thetop portion of the flap projecting up above the upper edge of the cardand the lower portion of the flap projecting below said slit and lyingwholly on the opposite side of the card from the top portion, said flapbeing freely swingable about said slit as an axis to engage adjacentcards and separate them angularly from one another while remainingsubstantially flat, said cards being wholly unconnected and free fromone another and being individually liftable completely out of the pack.

ALPHoNs FRER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 646,157 Proper Mar. 27, 1900972,302 Waller Oct. 1l, 1910 1,119,869 Peterson Dec. 8, 1914 1,584,837Bracken May 18, 1926 2,303,074 Freiberg Nov. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 469,965 Great Britain Aug. 6, 1937 489,086 GreatBritain 1938 222,559 Switzerland 1942 879,490 France Feb. 19, 1942

